Breaking all the rules

Most people don’t think much about homonyms or prime numbers. But most people aren’t 12-year-old Rose Howard, whose every waking moment is spent thinking about just those things. So it’s especially good luck that both her name (Rose/rows) and her dog’s (Rain/reign) are homonyms.

Ann M. Martin revisits the babysitters

When Scholastic announced the return of the Baby-Sitters Club—with the publication of a brand-new prequel and the reissue of the four original books in the series—reader response was enthusiastic and immediate, even frenzied. I posted the news on The Book Case and commenters gushed about favorite characters and individual books. The...

Two paws up for Ann M. Martin's latest

Orphaned stray dogs Bone and his sister, Squirrel, are left to fend for themselves in the great outdoors, not knowing where their next meal will come from. These two survivors have a strong sense of family—that is, until fate separates the two and Bone is left, alone and scared, to find a new home.Bone’s canine adventures are only one of a trio of tales that make up Ann M....

Dolls on the run

What is it about the lives of dolls? Kids love thinking about what their dolls do when they are alone, away from the prying eyes of their owners. And who hasn't had a little chat with a doll or stuffed animal at some point? I know I have. Ann M. Martin, Laura Godwin and Brian Selznick (hot on the heels of his Caldecott win for The Invention of Hugo Cabret) collaborate on the third episode...

Holding a family together

Ellie Dingman might only be a sixth-grader, but she has the wise, sometimes tired eyes and voice of a woman with way too much on her plate. First, her perpetually immature mother cannot see past her beauty queen crown or her potential as a fast-food spokeswoman to take care of her own children. Then, the mean girls in her school take it upon themselves to bully Ellie and her only friend Holly...

Facing up to family secrets

Following on the heels of Belle Teale, her acclaimed novel for preteens, Ann M. Martin has left the Babysitters Club for richer, more serious fare. A Corner of the Universe, set in 1960, brings us Hattie Owen, an almost-12-year-old who lives in the fictional town of Millerton. Hattie narrates this poignant story of truth, lies and one family's struggle to cope with a mentally ill relative....

A girl with heart

Back in the days when Southern schools were first being integrated, we would see the news, showing angry white parents protesting the arrival of African-American children at the school their children attended. I used to wonder what effect that behavior had on white children as well as black. In Ann M. Martin's new novel, Belle Teal, the fifth grade heroine lets us in on her own thoughts about...